Education

Nearly 1,800 Students Enrolled in MCPS Virtual Academy

By MCS Staff

Beginning its second year, the MCPS Virtual Academy will provide full-time virtual learning to nearly 1,800 students in kindergarten through 12th grade. The Virtual Academy partners with students’ home schools, so students continue to have access to services, including meals, extracurricular activities and athletics.

The secondary Virtual Academy runs an alternating “block” schedule, organized into “A Days” and “B Days.” Each grade level does have one class that meets every day for a shorter period of time, and the lunch block for elementary, middle, and high school students are all aligned. More available in the video below, per MCPS.

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Three MCPS Schools Received Additions Ahead of Start of School Year

By MCS Staff

I’m addition to Harriet Tubman Elementary School becoming the 210th MCPS school, MCPS saw revitalizations/additions at John F. Kennedy High School (Silver Spring), Odessa Shannon Middle School (Silver Spring), and Westbrook Elementary School (Bethesda).

John F. Kennedy, a 280,048-square-foot school in Silver Spring, received a 52,085-square-foot addition. Its newest features include a school-based wellness center, space for the Medical Careers Academy, and technology and special education suites. The school also received new artificial turf on the stadium field; Bermuda grass and an irrigation system installed on the practice field, and new tennis courts atop a new elevated parking structure.

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MCPS Job Fair Happening September 7

By MCS Staff

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) will hold a job fair from 10am-1pm on Wednesday, September 7th at the Student Services Building of Montgomery College’s Rockville Campus (intersection of Rockville Pike and North Campus Drive).

MCPS is hiring for various positions, including: paraeducators, building service workers, food services, transportation, clerical, security, teachers, and counselors.

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Harriet Tubman Elementary Becomes 210th MCPS School

By MCS Staff

Harriet R. Tubman Elementary School became the 210th school in MCPS when it opened its doors to more than 450 students on Aug. 29, the first day of school. See the ribbon-cutting ceremony below.

The Gaithersburg school features 99,893 square feet of learning space and opens with Prekindergarten–4th grades, with 5th grade coming in the 2023–2024 school year. The facility houses a Linkages to Learning program, a partnership with the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services and other non-profits to integrate health and social services at the school site, and has a number of environmentally sustainable features, such as efficient LED lighting and high-efficiency HVAC machinery.

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Beyond MoCo: Prince George’s County Public Schools to Drop Mask Requirement on September 6

By Patrick Herron

Prince George’s County Public Schools has announced it will be moving to a mask-optional policy beginning Tuesday, September 6. PGCPS announced earlier this month that the school district would return to a “mandatory mask policy in all schools and facilities until further notice, effective Monday, August 15,” saying that the decision was recommended by the Prince George’s County Health Department. Montgomery County Public Schools ended its indoor mask requirement on March 8.

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Message From MCPS Superintendent McKnight: All Together Now, All for Our Students, Staff and Community

By Patrick Herron

As we begin the new year, MCPS, as demanded by our strategic plan, will have a laserlike focus on academics. Our educators will know how every student is performing; they will use data to meet student needs. We expect that our students will build on their knowledge, advance in their skill sets and find wonder in their learning. We have excellent teachers, support professionals and administrators committed to making this happen.

We will have challenges and we are ready for them. For students to perform at their best and achieve academic growth, they must be emotionally strong, physically safe and psychologically prepared for today’s world.

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Utkarsh Ambudkar Returns to MoCo For an Episode of ‘Secret Celebrity Renovation’ to Upgrade His Parents’ Home in Gaithersburg

By MCS Staff

Utkarsh Ambudkar was born in nearby Baltimore, but was raised in Rockville while his parents worked at NIH in Bethesda. The 38 year old actor graduated from Wootton High School and is well known for his roles in Hulu’s The Dropout, the male lead in hit CBS sitcom Ghosts (which he stars in with fellow Wootton alumnus Richie Moriarty),  Donald in Pitch Perfect, Rishi in the Mindy Project, Skatch in Mulan, and a lot more. In season 2, episode 5 of the CBS series Secret Celebrity Renovation, Ambudkar comes home to MoCo to renovate his parents’ home.

The episode starts off with views of Gaithersburg, where his parents currently live, leading into Ambudkar and the show’s host, Nischelle Turner, driving through MoCo on their way to his parents’ home. While home he visits friends who are still in the area and heads over to Wootton High School where one of his childhood friends, Nick Hitchens, is currently the assistant principal at the school. He stops by the theater where it all started and credits one his former directors, Harriet Mittelberger, for changing the course of his life by convincing Utkarsh’s mom to let him pursue acting.

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‘Launchpads’ Loaner Tablets for Children Are Now Available at Four Montgomery County Public Libraries

By Patrick Herron

Launchpads are populated with carefully chosen content of various themes including educational apps, games, videos, stories and activities focusing on specific topics.

Launchpads will be available from the MCPL branches of Long Branch, Maggie Nightingale, Marilyn Praisnerand White Oak. Customers can place holds on the Launchpads to have them transferred to their closest MCPL branch for pick up.

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MCPS Community Message: 10 Things to Know This Week

By MCS Staff

Here are 10 things to know for Thursday, Aug. 25, per MCPS.  They include information about the MCPS 2022-2023 Back-to-School Fair, Free and Reduced-Price Meals applications, important school system tools for families, bus route information and a request for first-day photos.

Know These Important System Resources

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